Bitcoin Ransomware Education – Crypweb

Not every type of ransomware is targeting computers, as some variants will go after web servers as well. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to access one’s own website because the remote server is held hostage by a ransomware infection. Crypweb was one of those types of ransomware that encrypt the database if a website, rendering the platform entirely useless. Plus, it shared some similarities with other forms of Bitcoin ransomware.

Crypweb Shuts Down Servers And Platforms

Most websites in existence today use some form of database to store all of the information. Whether one runs a personal blog of a full-fledged e-commerce platform, there is always some central place where information is stored. Users can – and should – make a backup of this database on a regular basis, to avoid data loss.

In the case of Crypweb, a database backup could come in handy when the web server was infected by ransomware. What this malware does is encrypt all of the content in the website database, making the platform inaccessible.Users could bypass this attack through a secure HTTPS connection, where they were greeted with instructions to contact the people in charge of Crypweb.

As one comes to expect from ransomware these days, site owners were forced to pay an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin to have their files decrypted. However, the decryption of data, as well as the payment, occurs through a command and control server linked to the Crypweb infection.

While this may seem like a genius move on the part of the assailants, it also allows security experts and law enforcement to take these command and control servers offline rather quickly. Most types of ransomware using this C&C method are shut down in a matter of months; Crypweb faced a similar fate, as this strain of malware is becoming far less common.

Even though Crypweb did not claim many victims, this particular Bitcoin ransomware pointed out a weakness in centralized database solutions. If it only takes one file to shut down an entire server, imagine what this malware can do to major websites with centralized databases. Information needs to be stored in a decentralized manner, although it will take many years until people start to realize that to the fullest.

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About The Author

JP Buntinx is a 30-year old FinTech and Bitcoin enthusiast living in Belgium. His passion for finance and technology made him one of the world's leading freelance Bitcoin writers, and he is working to achieve the same level of respect in the FinTech sector.